A 7-3 win on Thursday gave the Kia Tigers their sixth win against the Lotte Giants. The victory, which came at the Gwangju Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, Korea, kept the Tigers undefeated against the Giants through six games this season.
Tigers Get Six on Starter
The Tigers had a loud first inning, with solo home runs from both Kim Ho-ryeong and Preston Tucker putting the team ahead by two. Tucker earned his eighth home run, helping maintain his lead for RBIs in the KBO currently.
The scoring continued in the fourth, with three separate plays driving in runs for the Tigers. After hits from Na Ji-wan and Jang Yeong-seok as well as a fielder’s choice play off the bat of Han Seung-taek, the Tigers advanced to a 5-0 lead.
Despite the rough fourth, Giants starter Noh Kyung-eun pitched through to the end of the fifth inning. He was taken out in the sixth after Choi Hyung-woo hit a solo home run to make the game 6-1.
Being given the loss for the game, Noh moved his record to 1-2 over five appearances this season.
Teams Score Late Runs
After earning his first RBI of the season on Wednesday, Heo Il put the Giants on the board again, driving in Son Ah-seop in the sixth inning.
Son got an RBI as well later, bringing in Oh Yoon-suk in the seventh. In his second game of the season, Oh got his first two hits after a hitless Wednesday appearance.
The Tigers answered back with one more run, as Kim Gyu-seong drove in a run in the seventh against Lee In-bok.
The Tigers had some trouble finishing the game, needing three pitchers to close the ninth. Son, who was in two scoring plays before, grounded out, advancing Oh home from third to make the game 7-3.
While three relievers finished up the game for the Tigers in the ninth, it was Jeon Sang-hyun who got the save. In his seventh-straight appearance that left batters hitless, Jeon kept his ERA at a flat 0.00, pitching 13-and-one-third innings so far this season.
Brooks Evens Record
Tigers starter Aaron Brooks had a successful performance, being taken out in the seventh inning after allowing two runs and seven hits, earning five strikeouts along the way. The win moved his record to 2-2, bouncing back from a loss in his previous appearance.
Teams Look To Break Ties In Standings
Now with a 15-12 record, the Tigers are now tied for fourth place in the KBO with the Kiwoom Heroes.
The Tigers will head to Seoul, Korea, next, facing the second place Doosan Bears. Being one-and-a-half games behind the defending KBO Champions, the series presents a chance for the Tigers to move up the standings.
Heading back home, the Giants will start a three-game series against the KT Wiz. The teams are currently tied for seventh in the KBO, both having a record of 11-15. In their meeting this season, the Giants swept the Wiz three-games-to-none on opening week.
KBO games on Friday are scheduled to start at 6:30PM KST (5:30AM EDT).
Around The KBO
After losing the first two games in the series, it was one-way traffic for the LG Twins, who defeated the Samsung Lions 11-0 on Thursday.
After a 7-3 win, the Kiwoom Heroes achieved a sweep over the Hanhwa Eagles.
A loss and a close win earlier in the series were surprisingly close results for the top-ranked NC Dinos to have against the SK Wyverns. The final game of the series told a different story, however, with the Dinos winning 10-0.
A high-scoring evening saw the Doosan Bears pick up a 14-8 win over the KT Wiz.
JackWannan.com 